Google Going into Local Events

I received a screenshot that indicates Google is going to add local events data and related content to maps and probably search (and mobile):

Apparently this is available or being tested in several cities, although I could not reproduce it on my own:

Google calendar has events via third party calendars, but it’s pretty underutilized. Yahoo offers events on the current and new beta version of Yahoo Local. Events are an important component of the overall local equation.

Zvents and Eventful are the leaders in the local events space but there are dozens of sites and newsletters built around events, not to mention local newspaper sites (which typically use Zvents).

If Google succeeds in its effort to acquire ITA software (which I would now handicap 60-40 against), it will get much more than travel software. It will also get a tool (which it could build itself) that compiles a range of local content via feeds and scraping:

Nope. This hasn”t been announced. It’s just some sort of a test at this point. I haven’t talked to Google about it. I’m speculating based on a screen that somebody sent me. You can get an events feed from Zvents or Eventful.

I have finally been able to reproduce this. Also interesting, as you can see in the image in this post, is the new interface in the upper right-hand corner of the map. By the way, that drop-down menu (“traffic”) will show “Events” as one of the options, even when the search is in a city which does not have events enabled.

Also interesting (though slightly unrelated) is that when you first visit Maps from a search result, you are not shown the typical left side panel with info on the city or address you’re searching for. Instead, you see this: http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/184/downloadedfilef.png

This is interesting because it shows Google actively marketing Hotspot to consumers, and Places to SMB’s.